Astolfo: Master of Teasing
by someman82
Summary: It's been a while since your last heartbreak, but you've finally started to forget about it ever since you've met Astolfo. He's super adorable, and hanging out with him is a blast, but it isn't very long before you find out something about him, something that makes him dangerous, something that can bring even a strong-willed man such as yourself to your knees; he has a cute tummy.
1. Body Shopping

Boring. Boring, boring, boring. There was nothing more boring than just sitting on your ass, doing nothing. Sitting there, patiently waiting, practically twiddling your thumbs in a futile effort to give your starved brain some sort of desperately-craved stimulation. You had brought your phone with you, but the store doesn't have any Wi-Fi, and you stupidly burned through this month's mobile data already. There was nothing else to do. You have no other choice but to stare at the floor and accept the facts; very few experiences in this journey known as life could compete with the amount of boredom felt while waiting for someone as they were trying on clothes.

Whenever you found yourself trapped in this situation, it always seemed to follow the same pattern. First, someone—specifically, someone you happened to find extremely attractive—would feel their wardrobe needed an update and would ask you to take them out shopping. While you rarely felt a need to buy any new clothes for yourself, you always agreed to do so. Why wouldn't you? It was a nice day out with someone who you thought was absolutely captivating, what could possibly go wrong? But then you would finally arrive at the store and would spend the first fifteen to twenty-five minutes standing around, following this special someone as they shopped for a new outfit, staring into space the entire time as they used you as a glorified clothing rack. Then, they would go into the changing area to try on whatever they picked out, and you would sit on the waiting bench, as you are right now, and wait. Eventually they would come out and model the clothing for you, and you would always say you liked it. It's not like you were lying or anything, they would always look great no matter what they wore. Rinse and repeat for the remaining clothes, then check-out, then off to another store in the strip-mall. Sometimes you got to have a nice lunch with them afterwards. Only sometimes, though. Luck wasn't always in your favor.

But to even get to that point, you had to go through the grueling process of waiting. There was nothing you could do to speed it up. Just waiting, waiting, and even more waiting. It would be worth it, though. In the grand scheme of things, this was just another building block of what would hopefully become a relationship that wouldn't come crashing down as a result of one of your classic dumb mistakes. Hopefully.

But enough about you. The whole reason you're sitting around is in that changing room right now, probably looking as lovely as ever as he tries on the gorgeous new clothes he's picked out. Yeah, that's right. He. Pretty unbelievable, yeah? You would've never imagined getting together with Astolfo a year ago, but here you are, grinning and bearing through the intense boredom of waiting for him to finally come out of that changing room. Why wouldn't you? He's adorable. There's no denying that.

Thankfully, no one seems to be casting any judgement towards you. Then again, as you're walking down the street with someone who likes to wear pretty skirts and cute bows and wears his charming pink hair in a long French braid all while delightfully clutching your arm and laying a lovable head on your shoulder, would anyone in their right mind think you were with a boy? Hell, you spent the entire time shopping in the women's section!

What was he even trying on, anyway? You can't seem to remember. You zoned out around the time he began looking through the coat racks. Whatever it was, it would probably look amazing on him. Seeing him come out of that changing room wearing whatever he picked out would likely make this entire stretch of boredom totally worth it.

Suddenly, you hear some footsteps in front of you. "So, whaddya think?" asks an incredibly charming voice. You look up, and your heart stops for a second. There's Astolfo, grinning proudly while posing like some sort of fashion model. You can see that adorable little snaggle tooth sticking out from the corner of his mouth. Then, you take a good look at what he's wearing. And your heart starts beating rapidly.

The outfit he picked out was simple enough. A delightful purple jacket, with some little black pom-poms hanging off the strings. A tiny black skirt with matching black leggings, held up with a cyan belt. And to complete it was a nice-looking purple and white striped shirt. But this shirt wasn't normal length. It was actually quite short. Very short. Incredibly short. And not just show-off-a-sliver-of-the-waist short, the bottom of it was cropped so it would only cover the top of his chest and nothing more. Combine that with him wearing the skirt low on his waist and you got an adorable outfit that nicely framed the most magnificent midriff you've ever seen. God, it was irresistible!

You've never seen his bare belly before. But now you could see the entire thing as he stood there in front of you, his outfit making no effort to conceal the long expanse of a slim stomach that went from the top of his tummy to the height of his hips. In fact, the outfit only accentuated it. You couldn't tear your eyes away. It was the most tantalizing torso you've ever seen. It was slender, it was soft, and it was everything you could ever ask for. The skin looked so supple, and it was a delightful shade of pale cream. It was wonderfully toned with the faintest suggestion of muscle, his perfect curves leading your hungry eyes across his admirable abdomen. In the middle of it all was the nicest navel, neatly nestled within the nucleus of his nearly naked middle. You could see the knotty wrinkles tightly packed inside there, each tiny fold contrasting with the overall smoothness of his belly. It was probably even ticklish.

And fuck, how tempting it is to just get down on your knees and find out exactly how ticklish his belly button is! Your face, pressed up against that pillowy tummy, your tongue poking and probing into that sensitive depression while he squealed, the goosebumps of his quivering stomach repeatedly brushing up against your cheek, your hands exploring the softness of his slim sides and the breadth of his bare back, his shrieks morphing into moans as his legs lost their strength, shaking and shivering as he gasped your name, and was it starting to get hot in here or what?

Needless to say, you thought Astolfo's tummy was pretty darn cute.

"...Um, hello?" he uttered, his prideful expression transforming into one of concern. Oh shit. He just asked you a question. How long were you staring at him?

"Y-You, uh, I think you l-look great!" you finally answer, the immense sweat that was collecting on your forehead suddenly becoming noticeable.

Astolfo raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay? You got a fever or something?"

Fuck! Your entire face was bright red, wasn't it? "N-No, nothing like that. I'm fine. Really. It's just, uh, I dunno." You offer an unconvincing smile.

"You dunno?" Astolfo squinted. "Dunno… what?"

I dunno? What the hell was that!? "Uh," you mutter, desperately trying to think of something—anything—to say that would get you out of this hole you keep digging for yourself. Eventually you manage to shake your gaze off of his amazing abdomen and instead stare at the floor. That's a start.

"I mean, I think the outfit is pretty and everything, b-but," you awkwardly continue, closing your eyes in shame. "D-Does it have to be, you know, so revealing?"

"Revealing?" said Astolfo… was he giggling? "What do you mean by that? I mean, I guess it's a little revealing, but it's the normal length for a crop top." Reluctantly, you open your eyes and glance at his smirking face. You take a breath, as if you're about to say something else, but then you catch a glimpse of that stunning stomach once again, and your view lingers on it for a tad bit longer than it should. Oops.

Astolfo's eyes briefly widen, and then he begins to quietly laugh, pressing his lips together in slight embarrassment. "Aww, I think I know what's going on now," he says, putting a hand to his hip.

"H-huh?" you utter stupidly, quickly bouncing your gaze back to his face. Astolfo lets out a hearty laugh.

"You're a big fan of this outfit, huh~?" He chuckles some more, and begins to teasingly sway his hips back and forth. "You've got good taste. I think I'm gonna get it."

"Oh. Uh, okay," you reply, causing him to giggle once again. He turns and disappears back into the changing area, laughing all the way into the stall. Meanwhile, you just awkwardly sit there, wondering what the fuck just happened.


	2. Too Hot

Well, it's definitely summer again. A high of seventy-eight degrees greets your crusty eyes as you briefly check the weather app during your morning routine, confirming that spring has finally left to shoo out winter next year. Get ready for days so hot you'll want to do nothing but stay in bed, the thick humidity sticking to you like a disgusting blanket. Fun.

But hey, at least this warm weather means that there'll be more cuties in tummy shirts for you to gawk at, right? Har, har. That joke just gets more and more hilarious every time you think of it, if you can really even call it a joke. Then again, there is one cutie you know who seems to enjoy wearing such shirts, especially after you've embarrassed yourself while he was shopping for one. In the weeks since then, Astolfo has gathered for himself a respectable collection of midriff-baring tops, each one he proudly wears with an outfit carefully hand-picked to complement it. (Your favorite, of course, being a cropped magenta-and-indigo-striped hoodie, paired with ripped black jeans that snugly hung low on his hips.) In fact, it's been quite a while since you've seen him wearing something that didn't flaunt his stomach in some way.

Thankfully, you've learned to not creepily stare at his breathtaking belly every time you meet up with him; instead, you sate your desperate craving by catching a quick glance or two whenever he's not looking. Which is not very frequent any more, considering how he often seems to enjoy looking at you while wearing that pinchable grin. He's definitely taken a liking towards you, even if the more self-loathing side of your brain doesn't understand why. Despite that, you'll still gladly date him.

...Are you even dating him, though? Although each time you hang out with him is filled with pleasant feelings and his bright, smiling face, you've never actually heard him explicitly say you were dating him. It's not like you could just ask him for clarification or anything, that would be so damn weird. Whatever. It was too early in the morning to think of such things, instead you should focus on simpler stuff like breakfast and taking a shower. What time was it again? You wipe your eyes and check your phone once more, making sure to actually pay attention when you look at the time. It's 11:24. Crap. Even though it's the weekend, you still slept through a good chunk of your day which always sucks.

You sigh. Whatever. Not a big deal. It's only Saturday. Not like you had much planned today anyway. Eventually you manage to crawl out of bed and shamble over to the bathroom.

* * *

While slowly chewing on a spoonful of mediocre cereal for your breakfast (lunch?), your phone vibrates. You check it, and your eyes briefly light up upon seeing the notification: a text from Astolfo. Excitedly, you unlock your phone and open the message, almost dropping it in the bowl in the process.

"**hiya, hows my fav dork doing today? ( ´∀`)ﾉ**" it reads. Normally you would quickly become annoyed with anyone who used those dumb-looking emoticons all the time, but with Astolfo… it was different, somehow. Quickly, you type your reply, repeatedly having to backspace typos as your fingers continually slip.

"**oh you know, nothin much I guess. other than being hot and sweaty lol**" you send back. You sit there for a good thirty seconds, neglecting your soggy cereal as you eagerly wait for his reply.

Eventually he sends, "**haha yeah its pretty hot today. makes me wanna do nothing but sleep _(ˇωˇ」∠****)_** " You stare at the screen for a little bit, debating whether or not you should write something back, but he manages to beat you to the punch and sends, "**hey, since its so hot today, wanna go to the beach? (＾****ω＾****) if im gonna be sleepy today, id rather sleep on the sand (* ω)**"

A beach trip? With Astolfo!? In a sudden rush of excitement, you make no hesitation in letting him know of your sentiment towards such an outing.

"**yeah! that sounds great lol. I think a beach trip is just what I need today lol**" you send. As you wait for Astolfo's response, you repeatedly look over your message, reading each word over again. Shit, you've used "lol" twice! Is that too much?

"**great! i cant wait!ヽ****(＾****Д＾****)ﾉ ****i already have all the sunscreen and towels and stuff. would you mind picking me up in an hour?**" he sends you. Of course you wouldn't mind.

"**yeah, no problemo lol**" you type. You smile to yourself. You could always rely on Astolfo to brighten up your day. After putting your phone down on the table, you move to grab the spoon again, but stop yourself after seeing how disgustingly mushy the cereal has become. Whatever. You weren't that hungry anyway.

Your phone lights up again, and you quickly grab it. It's another text from him. "**ill see you then, you big doofus! (*＾****3＾****)**" it reads. God, would he ever stop being so adorable? You gaze at the emoticon for a few more seconds. It was a kissy face. While you've never had the chance to kiss him or anything, seeing that emoticon made you realize just how much you wanted to feel his soft lips…

Ugh, it wasn't worth thinking about. You would only end up emotionally torturing yourself by obsessing over it. It would be better to think about things that were actually going to happen, like having fun with him by spending some time on the beach. Yeah, that's right! What could be more wholesome and platonic than that? All you needed to do was grab a swimsuit, pick him up in about an hour, and then head off to the shore. After that, you two could do whatever you wanted, like build sand castles, swim, or even just lay in the sun. Yeah, it will be great!

But first, grabbing a swimsuit. It's been a while since you've ever had a reason to wear one, but you're pretty sure that you've got a swimsuit laying around somewhere. Putting your phone in your pocket, you get up and bring the unfinished bowl of cereal to the kitchen, placing it into the sink next to some forgotten dirty dishes. You would totally deal with those later. For now, it was time to look through all your drawers.

* * *

Traffic was alright on the way to Astolfo's apartment. Pretty typical for a Saturday afternoon. The sun constantly beat down on you, the surrounding air, and any unlucky pedestrian who was not protected by the shade. Your car's poor air conditioner could barely keep up with the growing heat of the early summer, and your sweat was there to be a friendly reminder of what season it was. But it wouldn't be long before you'd get to cool off in the big ocean, Astolfo right beside you, probably splashing you while laughing in that precious little way of his. Until then, you needed to be patient and tolerate the heat.

By the time you got there, you were almost ready to collapse onto the floor and suffer a heat stroke. ...Well okay, maybe it wasn't actually that bad, but still. You managed to trudge up to the entrance of the building, and you briefly gaze at the confusing room-caller-thingy mounted to the wall. Screw it. Ignoring the archaic technology presented before you, you simply take out your phone and give Astolfo a call.

"_Huff_… Yeah, I'll be down in just a minute!" is all you hear, before he abruptly hangs up on you. You look at your phone in confusion, and then slowly shake your head as you put it away. Typical Astolfo.

A few minutes go by with no sign of him. You glance at the building's brick wall, the cars passing by, out into space. What is he doing? It usually never takes him this long. After what seems like another good five minutes, you eventually hear a slight patter of footsteps, followed by the much louder buzz of the door unlocking. With a pronounced, startling click, the door opens, revealing a completely red-faced and out-of-breath Astolfo, wearing nothing but some sweatshorts and a sports bra.

"Hey there!" he gasps between breaths. "You all… _huff_… set and everything?"

You motion towards the swim trunks you're currently wearing. "Yeah, pretty much. What's up with you, though?"

Astolfo leaned on the side of the door frame. "It's nothing. Figured I'd just… _huff_… get in a bit of exercise for the day."

"Just a bit?" you ask. "You look like you ran a marathon or something."

"Oh, give me a break, you big meanie! It's like, seventy degrees or something." He chuckles, wiping some sweat from his burning forehead. You couldn't tell if his burning red face was from the heat or his workout. "But I gotta work hard to stay in shape, right?" he asks, pridefully moving a hand to his hip and another to the back of his head. In a sudden moment of weakness, you commit the great blunder of admiring the figure presented in front of you.

It was the sweat. Each droplet slowly trailed down his taut tummy, covering the smooth surface with a pleasant shine, and it drove you absolutely crazy. The way the sun's rays reflected off of it perfectly accentuated his lean, curvy frame, and it made his astounding abdomen look so nicely defined. You wanted to taste the sweat for yourself. You wanted to get down on your knees, grab him by the armpits, and just lick the sweat right off, wallowing in his perfection. Simply thinking about it was enough to cause a stir in your legs. But…

No, not right now. You shouldn't. This was not the time to creepily obsess over his stomach. The beach trip, remember? Focus on that! Soon, you'll be enjoying a fun and completely platonic time with Astolfo at the beach, doing nothing but hanging out and strengthening your friendship. But none of that can happen if you keep acting like such a creep! So, reluctantly, you take your eyes off his beautiful belly. He's still posing, and as you look at his face, you see he's grinning in that smug way of his, snaggle tooth and everything.

"Enjoying the view~?" he asks, teasingly moving his hips from side to side. Shit. He noticed.

You take a breath, opening your mouth to say something. However, it stays agape as you try to think of something to say that could possibly make this situation any better. Eventually you give up and mutter, "Um… S-Sorry." God, that was so awful! You clench your teeth. If only you could teleport to somewhere else.

Astolfo regards you for a second, partially squinting. Then, he giggles, moving a hand to cover his mouth. "Oh, don't be like that! You know I don't mind when you stare," he admits, giggling some more.

"W-What?" is all you ask. You stand there, feeling like a complete jackass, and Astolfo simply giggles at you again. It didn't help that he has the most delightfully-sounding laugh. "I… I didn't know that!"

"Well yeah, of course I would be okay with it! It makes me feel… you know, sexy." Once again he laughs so adorably, and now you're even less sure of what's causing his red face. "I mean, why wouldn't I be okay with it? You know I always catch you sneaking a glance every so often, right?"

Fear briefly envelopes you, and you take a step back. "You… n-notice!?"

Astolfo takes a hand to his forehead, letting out another laugh. "Yeah, of course I do! You're not very good at hiding it." He snickers, shaking his head. "Honestly, I'm not sure why you even bother trying to be so secretive. We're dating, right? Is there something wrong with just simply admiring your _boyfriend_~?" he teases, emphasizing the word "boyfriend" by jutting his partially exposed hips to the side with each syllable.

You gasp, as if you were punched in the gut. "B-Boyfriend!?" is all you can manage to utter. Astolfo responds with another burst of laughs, his giggles echoing around your head like rubber balls of pure cuteness.

"Aww, somebody's a little nervous before his little beach date, huh~?" he teases, wiping away the sweat from his forehead while continuing to snicker. He sighs. "You're so hilarious. I don't know what I'd do without you!"

"...D-Date?" you ask. Astolfo snickers once again.

"Oh come on! What, are you surprised? Of course it's a date, what do you think we've been doing for the past few weeks?" He laughs again, bringing a hand to suppress it. "You're such a big dummy! If I stay down here any longer, I'm gonna laugh too hard and crack a rib or something!" he says, smiling widely. "Stay here, I'm gonna go get changed and grab the towels and stuff." He turns back towards the entrance, but he stops and you can see his grin widen across the side of his face, revealing that damn crooked tooth again. "Then we can get going on the date… with me, your _boyfriend_~!" he teases, once again shaking his hips with each syllable of "boyfriend".

Frozen, you feel a bead of sweat ride down your neck, and you take a shaky hand to wipe it off. "S-Sounds… good," you quietly reply to him as he opens the building door, disappearing behind it with a stream of adorable laughter.

Well. At least that's one question answered.


	3. Sunscreen

Why is he wearing a bikini top? As you both walk across the edge of the beach to find a good spot, you suddenly notice how strange it is that he's wearing one. It's not like he really needs to wear it or anything, he doesn't even have breasts… er, at least not female breasts. Perhaps with his feminine appearance, he needs to be careful and cover up in case someone sees him and tries to get him kicked off the beach or whatever. Or maybe he just wants to be stylish? That blue-and-white striped top with the frilly white fabric does look nice on him, especially since it's paired with a white skirt that's covered in these little pink stars. But even then, the fact he's wearing one still seems weird as you continue to think about it. Whatever. At least his kissable middle is still in full view.

"Oh, there's one!" shouts Astolfo, pointing to an empty patch of sand somewhat near the ocean. He then excitedly runs toward the spot, carrying nothing but a light beach bag. Following him, you slowly trudge in his path, burdened by the weight of the umbrella and foldable chairs, helpless to keep up with his pace. Once you finally reach him, out of breath, you drop your baggage onto the sand and fall to your knees.

"Did you have to run?" you ask, gasping for air. Astolfo briefly looks over to you, but he quickly returns his attention to rolling out his towel on the sand.

"Maybe," he answers. He's smirking again. "If I didn't, someone else might've taken this spot already."

You sigh, but also let out a little snicker. "Yeah, whatever you say." After getting back onto your feet, you pick up one of the chairs and unfold it, placing it in the sand a few feet away where Astolfo is sitting on his towel. You reach for the other chair, but he interrupts you.

"Don't bother with the other chair, I just wanna lay in the sun," he says, putting on some sunglasses he grabbed from his bag.

You stop and glare at him. "So what, you made me carry that thing for nothing?"

He grins. Again. "Perhaps." He then digs through his bag once more, eventually pulling out a tube of sunscreen. "You never know. I might want it later."

"Yeah, whatever," you reply, shaking your head. Picking up the umbrella, you fumble with it for a bit before you finally manage to open it. As you place it into the ground, you angle it perfectly to ensure that your chair is completely covered in shade. Once finished, you take a seat, letting out a sigh of relief.

Astolfo, rubbing some sunscreen on his arms, glances over towards you. "You're just gonna lay in the shade the whole time?" he asks.

"I dunno. Maybe later I'll go in the water or something."

"That's it? All while the sun's out and everything? " He squirts another glob of sunscreen into his hand. "I don't get it."

You grab the sunglasses hanging from your t-shirt and put them on. "I know it's weird, but I guess just staring out at the ocean is interesting enough for me."

Astolfo snickers. "Yeah, okay nerd. Have fun with that." Taking two fingers, he dips them into the dollop of sunscreen on his palm and spreads it across his forehead. "While your lame ass sits around, I'm gonna take advantage of this weather." He rubs his two hands together and begins to slather the remaining sunscreen across his cheeks, kneading it into his skin. "Feel free to live a little and join me, okay?" He pauses, and he looks at you with that all too familiar snaggle-toothed smirk. "Feel free to join your _boyfriend_, I mean~." He giggles, and hearing its sweet sound along with seeing his oddly endearing crooked tooth almost makes up for all the constant teasing you have to deal with. Almost.

"Sure, whatever you say," you reply, somewhat annoyed, reclining into your chair as you peacefully gaze out towards the vast expanse of ocean. Even then, you still can't help but giggle a bit to yourself.

Astolfo, having finished rubbing the sunscreen into his face, squirts some more onto his hand. However, he pauses, and by only slightly turning his head he looks at you from the corner of his eye. "Oh, and one more thing~," he says. Leaning back on his towel, he takes his hand and plops the blob of sunscreen right on top of his own midriff. "Would you be so kind as to rub this in for me~?" he asks you, his expected smugness radiating from his voice.

"Huh?" You lean forward in your chair, and almost choke on the air upon seeing him. There he is, his flawless self glistening in the sun, both hands leisurely interlocked behind his head while a clump of sunscreen rests on the center of his seductive stomach.

"Don't be so shy~," he says, offering a charming smile that can somehow briefly pull you away from his attention-grabbing abdomen, "all I need is a hand, alright? Or two, if you wanna do it properly~."

"B-But, I, uh…"

As if on cue, he giggles, ever so enchantingly. "Now, now, if you wait too long, I might get sunburnt~!"

With wide eyes and mouth agape, you stumble over your own words. "That… that doesn't even m-make any sense!" you argue. "I mean," you say, swallowing and taking a breath. "I mean, why would you need a-any help? Like, if it was your back, that would make sense, cause, you know, it's hard to reach and all, b-but, uh…"

Astolfo glares at you with a pinched look, and he carefully sits up on his elbows. "Wh… What?" he asks.

"B-But your, uh, front," you continue, "you know, like, that shouldn't even be an issue for you! That you can, um, reach easily, so like, I d-don't see why you can't just, uh..." you mutter, breaking off. Despite being in the shade, you can feel your face completely burn up. It feels like the air all around you has somehow grown much hotter.

Astolfo tilts his head slightly, and pulls off his sunglasses. "Where… where are you going with this?"

You swallow again. Are you… trembling? "W-Why can't you just do it yourself?" you finally articulate, unable to look him in the eyes. He only stares back at you, his normally charming face manipulated into one of accusing bewilderment; you can feel your gut tighten as he looks at you with that unrelenting gaze.

"Lemme get this straight," he says with narrowed eyebrows, "you've been ogling at my tummy for almost a month now, which means you most definitely wanna touch it, right?"

"I…" you hesitate, and he continues to scan you with those unwavering eyes. "I s-suppose that's a way to put it."

Without missing a beat, he continues, "And now I'm giving you the perfect opportunity to touch it as much as you want, which should be your ultimate fantasy or whatever, right?"

Exhaling, you gape back at him, speechless. "...Uh," you utter.

"But this is what I don't get," he resumes, ignoring whatever else you might've wanted to say. "You're acting all defensive and coming up with excuses to not touch it. Why?" He lightly tilts his head in the other direction. "This is what you want, right? How come you're acting outside of your own self-interest?"

Dumbfounded, you sit there quietly as Astolfo studies you. No comfort can be found in those typically soothing eyes. You creak an abrupt, pathetic noise from your throat, and it does nothing to make the situation any better. Then, almost as fast as it became unfriendly, his expression regains its naturally pacifying quality and you can already feel the knot in your chest loosen.

"Oh, I get it now!" He then smirks, slyly baring that familiar crooked fang. Shit. "You're just nervous~." Grinning, he puts his sunglasses back on, and idly you think the look works perfectly with how smug he's acting. "Let me guess, you've never given anyone a massage before, huh~?" He lies back on his towel and rests his head on his interlocked fingers like how he was earlier. "In that case, I am totally honored to be your first." He turns his head back towards your direction. "And I am gonna be your first. Right now." Motioning to the pile of sunscreen resting on his torso, he flashes his adorably imperfect teeth. "Go on. No need to put it off. You and I both want this~."

Welp. So much for pacifying.

You gulp. What point was there to resisting any more? After all the time you've spent with him, you should've learned by now that it was futile to try and outlast his charm. Besides, you're only doing what he wants of you, right? Heart racing and completely shamefaced, you kneel down into the hot sand beside him, the abrupt sunlight frying your already sweltering self. You reach out towards him with a trembling hand, but stop short of his sweat-lined stomach. "Are... you sure about this?" you sheepishly ask.

He giggles. "You already know the answer to that question. Stop stalling and just touch me already~!"

You press your lips together, and instinctively your eyes crawl up and down the perfect midriff presented before you. Half resistant and half wanting to savor the moment, you slowly extend your hand and gingerly dip your fingers into the mound of sunscreen, before fully succumbing to his charisma and making contact with his skin.

He was soft. Oh, so soft.

It felt like your fingers were simply melting into his soft belly as you carefully press into him. You shakily exhale as you feel your agitation slowly evaporate away. Sure, you've touched soft things before, but they all lacked the distinct pleasantness that came from simply pressing your fingertips against his supple abdomen. A pillow didn't rise and fall to the steady rhythm of relaxed breathing, nor did it radiate a comfortable body heat, one that eased the senses and reminded you that there was someone out there who cared about you. Not only was Astolfo's tummy cute, but somehow, it was also reassuring.

"...So," he says, disturbing you from that brief moment of tranquility, "you gonna, like, rub it in and stuff?"

Suddenly you become aware of the awkwardness of the situation, you kneeling there with a face filled with humiliation as you strangely press your fingers against his lean midriff. In public, no less! "R-Right, of course," you answer, removing your hand from the sunscreen glob and positioning your palm flat against his lower chest; you can just barely feel his excited heart thump. With careful, calculated movements, you slide your hand down his torso, spreading the mound of sunscreen along its delicate surface. Your fingertips effortlessly glide over the long expanse of his wonderfully cream-colored skin, covering his entire belly with a layer of SPF 50. As your hand travels lower and lightly skims over the area around his navel, he quietly shivers, instinctively drawing his stomach in a bit as some goosebumps form on his skin.

Fuck! Why is this all happening!? Seeing him in an adorable little bikini was already exciting enough for you, and that's where it should've ended. But no, of course not, never when Astolfo's around! He just had to tease you again, like he always does, this time using a little glob of sunscreen. And now it seems like everything is conspiring together to make it even more unbearable for you; not only are you able to see his lovable little tummy up close, but you also get to feel it too, your hands exploring up and down the long, mostly flat plane of his elegant abdomen, briefly stopping to admire the taut skin atop his rigid ribs along with the softer curves near his effeminate hips. And if that somehow wasn't enough for you, every time you would lightly trace your fingers around his ticklish belly button, he would laugh, snickering splendid-sounding squeals of satisfaction. It was a lot to take in, to say the least.

(And as much as you hated to admit it, you could feel your pants tighten.)

"Mmm… For the first time you've ever massaged someone, I'm impressed. You're very good at this~," he compliments, the abruptness of it startling you from your unconscious exploration of his torso.

"Uh… yeah, thanks, it's no problem," you say. Slowly returning from your daze, you look over Astolfo's charming tummy, now sticky with sunscreen. Everything looks adequately rubbed in, for the most part. Good enough. If the sweat on your forehead, trembling of your hands, and burning of your cheeks was any indication, you'd better pry your eyes away and take a break before passing out of excitement or heat exhaustion or whatever. You briefly close your eyes, and yet the faint image of his shiny, lean abdomen lingers in your vision. Shit. If this goes on for any longer, you're gonna end up in one of those pillow-walled mental wards, drooling all over yourself while a bikini-clad Astolfo dances around your brain.

You get up, legs wobbling but serviceable enough to carry you back to your chair, but before you could take a single step he chimes in with a complaint.

"Um, excuse me," he almost whines, "I don't think you're quite finished, mister." He's grinning again, that crooked tooth in full view, and you can just barely see his smug eyes behind the dark shield of his sunglasses. He brings out one hand from behind his head and uses it to point to his navel. Confused, you bend over to look closely and see the issue at hand.

"You're joking," you quietly mutter to yourself.

"As you can see, there's still a little glob of sunscreen inside my belly button," he explains in an irritatingly cheerful way. "And you're not done until it's all rubbed in, alright?"

Indeed, present inside his navel was a tiny bit of sunscreen, covering up the knot where all the folds of sensitive skin came together into the center with a unique pattern. You take a deep breath; the sooner you start, the sooner you can escape from this strange form of torture. With a steady hand, much like an experienced surgeon, you slowly take your finger and dip it into the little sunscreen pool. Almost immediately as your fingernail lightly presses into the pit of his navel, he lets out a lengthy groan, loud enough to make you freeze in your tracks.

"Ooooh~," he grumbles, dramatically throwing his head back. "Please be gentle, my belly button is very sensitive~." You glance up, and you can clearly see that trademark smugness on his face. That bastard.

He has to be faking it, there's no way that anyone's navel is actually that sensitive! ...Right? With another gulp of air, you quietly mutter "Uh-huh," and restart your little massage of his stupid, sexy umbilical scar. It wouldn't have been too difficult to rub that last bit of sunscreen in, if it wasn't for that fact that as you carefully circled your finger in and around his navel, he thought it was completely necessary to moan and whimper like you were jerking him off or something. (Speaking of which… again, although you'd hate to admit it, you couldn't help but occasionally glance at the slight tightness that formed under his bikini skirt.)

Of course, there was also the tantalizing matter of the belly button itself. Just like the rest of his stomach, it was unbelievably smooth, and your fingertip glided around it with satisfying ease. The only thing that wasn't smooth was the aforementioned knot in the center. Each time your fingernail lightly scraped against this tight swirl of tender flesh, Astolfo would let out a pleasant little whine, which would only convince you to continue rubbing it more and more, creating a positive feedback loop that would go on forever and ever—if it could.

You eventually find yourself in some sort of trance. As your perverted finger explored around his belly button, stretching the soft rim towards whatever direction you would take it, he would keep making those cute little noises. You began to rub a little bit faster, poking a tad deeper each time, your fingertip sinking into his squishy tummy before abruptly pressing up against the tightness of his lightly-trained abdominal muscles. As you picked up the pace, his squeals got noisier and more frequent, delightful music to your ears. "P-please," he would moan, "k-keep going~!" You couldn't tell if he was faking it or not, but in all honesty you didn't really care. Even if he was just pretending, it was still really hot.

This goes on for… a while, it's hard to say exactly how long. Leaning over his torso, you stare into his navel, your entire body eerily motionless sans your gyrating finger. While you seem calm and stoic on the outside, your interior emotions couldn't be any more different. Your heart was racing, pumping hot blood to your already searing face and overloaded mind. Each little noise he makes causes a jolt of excitement to run through yourself, even if your empty face says otherwise. The sunscreen has already been sufficiently rubbed in for a while now, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that you're enjoying it and he's enjoying it and you're gonna make sure that this enjoyment lasts forever because that's the only thing you care about right now. Just you and Astolfo, hanging out and having a fun time on this beach while you help him rub in some sunscreen and also weakly succumb to your dumb little fetish. Just you, him, and…

...And all the other people on the beach.

The thought, without any warning, bursts into your consciousness and causes you freeze up. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! You're on a public beach, remember? What if someone saw you? What kind of picture would that paint, you hunched over him and fondling his navel with a bizarre desperation, breathing heavily like a pervert at a brothel? And if that didn't draw anyone's attention, Astolfo's constant moaning and groaning was sure to fall on at least one person's ears. The only thing you could do now was stop yourself before anyone else noticed what freakish things you were doing.

Almost as quickly at the realization popped into your head, you retract your finger from his navel, uneasily scanning the horizon. Judging by a quick glance around, no one else seemed to be interested in your little perverted outburst. Thank God. "All rubbed in," you mutter, and with spongy legs you get up and trudge over to you chair. Once seated, you rest your burning face in your hands, letting out a sigh of relief. Maybe now that you've heeded to his request, he would stop tormenting you like this and you could finally enjoy your beach hangout.

After a brief moment of silence, broken only by the calm sounds of waves crashing onto the shore, Astolfo suddenly begins to snicker, which evolves into a chuckle, which then eventually grows into a demeaning cackle. "You're so horny!" he half-shouts, half-laughs, gripping his sides and throwing his head back. "Am I really that sexy to you? You were going at it for, like, I don't even know how long!" You finally look up, and after glancing at his beaming, glee-filled face, you couldn't help but smiling yourself. In fact, you couldn't really stop yourself from giggling either.

He's not wrong. You are pretty horny. And he is definitely that sexy to you. "Sh-Shut up!" you say between laughs. "Someone could've seen us!"

"But no one did." He grinned smugly—again. "You gotta stop worrying about that stuff and learn to indulge yourself sometimes, alright?" He turns to his side, balancing his head on his hand. "Your little kink is pretty cute, I'd hate to never see it get any use~."

The expected teasing causes yet another laugh to threaten its way up your throat, but you manage to stifle it and only let out a snicker. "Shut up!" you yelp again, hopelessly.

Astolfo continues to smirk, his tooth poking out. "I gotta say, though, for your first massage you did a pretty good job at rubbing all that stuff in." His grin grows wider. "Maybe too good of a job, I might say. But whatever." He gets up and sits cross-legged on his towel. "I'm now in your debt. Is there anything I can do to pay you back~?" he flirtatiously offers.

"Pay me back?" you stupidly repeat, somewhat perplexed by his unexpected generosity. This was definitely a day of firsts. "Uh, I dunno." You try to think of something good, something complicated and really sexy that would put him in his place, like taking him back to your apartment and tying him up and doing some fun stuff like that, but before you can formulate an answer that properly contains the myriad of fantasies you're trying to piece together, a simpler, more pure request naturally sprouts from your subconscious and flows down into your throat and out your mouth.

"Maybe a kiss?"

Astolfo, clearly not expecting your choice, makes a strange, confused noise and sits there with widened eyes. "A kiss?" A short moment later, he giggles. "That's adorable!"

You nervously scratch the back of your neck. "Uh," is all you utter.

"Hmm…" he says, poking his cheek and tilting his head to one side. "I dunno if I can, though." He pretends to deliberate over it for a little while longer, his smile slowly creeping through his charade. "You know what?" he eventually says, taking off his sunglasses and getting up on his knees. He shuffles off the towel and across the sand over to you, before resting his crossed arms and chin on your chair's armrest. "I think that could be managed."

Removing your own sunglasses, you look down at his glistening, innocent eyes, his face barely a foot away. "O-Oh," is all you can think of to say.

He quietly laughs. "Yeah, I know. Pretty unbelievable." He raises his head from his arms, bringing it closer to your own, and all you do for a while is stare at each other as the rest of beach slowly fades away. All you hear is his quiet breathing, quickened in pace to match your own. Even during a moment such as this, he continues to smirk, his smug confidence seeming to radiate out from him. It was a trait of his that you've always admired, and as you've spent more time around him, grew to love. Then, instinctively, you slowly close your eyes and lean a bit forward. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but needless to say, you didn't even care.

All you could think about was how you wanted to spend the rest of your life with him.

The second you made contact with his lips, you could feel the proverbial sparks fly, each one an electric charge going through your spine. To say his mouth was just soft or supple would be an understatement; it felt like you were simply melting into his lips. You could feel your entire self loosen, a quiet groan escaping from your throat along with whatever stress you had left. At some point, you thoughtlessly bring a hand up to his cheek, endearingly stroking it with your fingertips. Returning the favor, Astolfo takes one of his hands and runs it through your hair, lovingly rubbing his thumb and fingers against your scalp.

Almost as quickly as it began, you seperate, a feeling of minor disappointment washing over you. You both audibly exhale, and you finally open your eyes to see a blushing Astolfo staring back at you, his tooth sticking out of his grin and everything. "Well, how was that?" he asks pridefully. Completely dumbfounded, you respond with the only thing that immediately comes to mind.

"You taste like sunscreen."

He continues to stare at you, unsure of what to make of your answer, before one of his adorable chuckles bellows out of him. "You dork!" he shouts, doubling over in laughter. "You're such a big, dumb dork!"

You only shrug in response. Astolfo was always so cute when he's laughing.

Wiping away a tear from his eye, Astolfo moves back towards his towel. "You really are hilarious," he comments, putting his sunglasses back on. "I seriously don't know what I'd do without you!" He rolls up his towel and puts it back into his bag.

"I thought you wanted to lay in the sun?" you ask as he goes over to the other neglected chair you've left sitting on the beach.

"I've changed my mind," he replies. He grapples with the chair again, somehow opening it much faster that you did, and places it in the sand right next to your own. He plops himself down, right next to you, and you can just barely see him look at you from the corner of his eye. Without warning, he sneakily reaches over to your armrest and interlocks his fingers with your own. "Enjoying the beach date with your _boyfriend~_?" he teases once more.

Your gut reaction tells you to resist his tease, to tell him to shut up or tease him back or whatever. Instead, you mange to stifle it into a quiet snicker, distracting yourself by returning your sunglasses to your face. After a few peaceful moments of nothing but the sound of waves crashing and seagulls cawing, you finally figure out how to get back at him.

"I love you," you tell him.

Astolfo lets out a giggle—and it's not his typical, mocking laugh, but one of pure, unexpected embarrassment—and covers his mouth, tilting his head back. Eventually, he regains his composure and says it back.

"Yeah, I love you too, dork!"

* * *

The sun has begun to set, framing the little sandcastle you both made in a nice, soft light. The heat is finally starting to dissipate from the air, and you can already feel the sea breeze blow past and attempt to bring you to a shiver. But you don't feel cold at all, considering that a warm, cozy Astolfo is clinging to your arm in the chair next to you, resting his cute, pink-haired head against your neck. As you stare out towards the calm sunset, the continuously crashing waves threatening to lull you both asleep, you feel a sense of satisfaction, knowing that you were right from the start. Astolfo was wrong, and you have the proof right here; sitting in a beach chair and simply staring at the vast ocean wasn't just for dorks. In fact, it's one of the most enjoyable things you could do on the beach.


End file.
